291:
Kahn remained completely convinced that deregulating the airlines was a success. When a friend complained that increased numbers of passengers on flights resulted in him sitting next to "a filthy hippie" on a plane, he replied, "Since I haven't heard from the hippie, I can assume the distaste wasn't
365:
He consistently argued that, where feasible, complete deregulation is preferable to partial deregulation. "The verdict of the great majority of economists would, I believe, be that deregulation has been a success — bearing in mind, as always, the central argument … that society's choices are always
270:
He served on many private boards on commissions addressing regulated and deregulating industries such as electricity, telecommunications, and transportation. He also received numerous awards for his work in economics, regulation, and deregulation. A seminar room in the
Lincoln Hall Music Library of
246:
in 1947, where he served as chairman emeritus of the
Department of Economics (a position he held for the rest of his life), as a member of the Board of Trustees of the university and as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1974, he became chairman of the New York Public Service Commission,
323:
Kahn's strong advocacy of deregulation stemmed largely from his understanding as an economist of marginal-cost theory. In his time at the New York Public
Service Commission he was instrumental in using marginal costs to help price electricity and telecommunications services; this was novel at the
296:
where he said, "The industry in the last 30 years gave the public something it had not received before: high quality, space, and low cost. It catered to a variety of demands and abilities today so that we had an enormous spread of fares. It offered the people upgrades such as business class and
392:
And though, being an economist, he could not help muttering about the imperfection of societies and systems and the absurdity of predictions — and though, being an inveterate puncturer of himself, he would demand a paternity test if anyone called him the father of the deregulated world — his
266:
to "kumquat". He explained inflation in one press conference by saying "Inflation occurs when everyone is trying to take a piece of the pie, but there isn't enough pie to go around." While
President Carter tried to downplay the significance of certain economic figures, Kahn called them "a
366:
between or among imperfect systems, but that, wherever it seems likely to be effective, even very imperfect competition is preferable to regulation …. Recent experience clearly suggests, instead, that the mixed system may be the worst of both possible worlds."
287:
in the early 1970s. He was badly injured in a 2003 car crash, and endowed the New York hospital that saved him with funds to set up a camera traffic-surveillance system so that emergency-room doctors could view the accidents that injured their patients.
282:
In addition to his professorship at
Cornell, Kahn sang baritone in university productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas from 1964 until retiring from the stage in 2000; he did a particularly fine turn as the Lord Chancellor in
267:
catastrophe." At one point, a frustrated Kahn offered his resignation, but Carter refused. Kahn joked, "I don't know why the president doesn't fire me. Actually, I do. There's no one else foolish enough to take this job."
433:
Besides his love for numbers, Kahn also loved words, and "hated to see them misused." Even after his death, he was acknowledged as "a champion of plain
English...an economist who could do without 'herein' and 'therein'."
297:
frequent flyer miles." Admitting that he was no expert on airplanes or the fine details of the industry, Kahn once said "I can't tell one plane from the other. To me, they're all just marginal costs with wings."
621:
378:
He served as an expert witness in many regulatory matters, particularly in issues regarding flat rate pricing for telecommunications, marginal costing in both telecommunications and electricity, and
275:
is named in his honor. He also maintained a long relationship with NERA Economic
Consulting (formerly National Economic Research Associates). In 1982, he was elected to the
40:
631:
258:
While serving under Carter, Kahn became known for his blunt and sometimes politically damaging comments. Convinced that certain administration policies would lead to a
443:
202:, on October 17, 1917, to parents Jacob and Bertha Kahn. His father, a Russian Jewish immigrant, worked in a silk mill. Kahn graduated from high school at 15 and
362:
of commercial air fares made the agency no longer necessary. This is one of the very few examples of a regulatory agency deregulating itself out of existence.
539:
869:
859:
262:, but having been chided for using the term, he began saying that the economy would "become a banana." After banana producers objected, he changed his
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691:
339:
879:
478:
854:
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to "dismantle anti-consumer cartels that had been sustained by government regulation." At the same time the CAB was disbanded, as
899:
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792:
223:
Before World War II, he also worked for policy research organizations and government agencies in
Washington, including the
889:
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adventures with airlines led on to the freeing of the trucking, telecoms and power industries, and heralded the
338:") oversaw the deregulation of commercial air fares. As one analyst put it, Kahn "set to work with … other
292:
reciprocated." In 2008, the nonagenarian Kahn gave a speech to the Global
Airport International Summit in
139:(October 17, 1917 – December 27, 2010) was an American economist and political advisor who specialized in
699:
427:
347:
247:
and later served as
Chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board, Advisor to the President on Inflation under
576:
626:
464:"Economist Alfred Kahn, 'father of airline deregulation' and former presidential adviser, dies at 93"
236:
488:
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328:
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657:
305:
224:
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331:(CAB), which regulated commercial airline fares, in 1977–1978, Kahn (a self-described "good
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839:
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during the period when it ended its regulation of the airline industry, paving the way for
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60:
809:
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8:
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788:
519:
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212:(highest average in his graduating class). He earned his doctorate in economics from
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179:
95:
79:
426:. Kahn also authored many articles, and was for many years a commentator on PBS's
782:
483:
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152:
100:
379:
375:, he said he wished he could have deregulated the telecommunications industry.
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343:
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833:
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Lessons from Deregulation: Telecommunications and Airlines After the Crunch
359:
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144:
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22:
678:
654:"Architect of airline deregulation dies in NY at 93 - BusinessWeek"
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148:
603:"Alfred E. Kahn Dies at 93; Prime Mover of Airline Deregulation"
540:"Alfred Kahn, Father of 1970s Airline Deregulation, Dies at 93"
293:
39:
147:. He was an important influence in the deregulation of the
444:
L. Welch Pogue Award for Lifetime Achievement in Aviation
408:
The Economics of Regulation: Principles and Institutions
235:, he became Chairman of the Department of Economics at
784:
Whom the Gods Would Destroy, Or, How Not to Deregulate
675:
Who'll Really Benefit from Net Neutrality Regulation?
416:
Whom the Gods Would Destroy, or How Not to Deregulate
420:
Letting Go: Deregulating the Process of Deregulation
780:
511:
532:
406:Kahn was the author of numerous books, including
831:
622:"At UVM, personal crisis becomes public concern"
562:"'Inflation Czar' will take apart his title"
216:in 1942 after graduate study at NYU and the
601:Hershy Jr., Robert D. (December 28, 2010).
600:
38:
870:American people of Russian-Jewish descent
860:20th-century American non-fiction writers
619:
255:, Carter's "inflation czar," until 1980.
613:
315:at the age of 93, on December 27, 2010.
476:
324:time but is routinely performed today.
318:
21:For the clergyman and hymn writer, see
880:Deaths from cancer in New York (state)
832:
509:
477:Russell, George (September 29, 1986).
807:
801:
762:from the original on January 27, 2011
669:
667:
808:Frank, Robert H. (January 9, 2011).
720:
689:
542:. Bloomberg News. December 28, 2010
470:
253:Council on Wage and Price Stability
155:. Commonly known as the "Father of
13:
855:20th-century American male writers
673:Thierer, Adam (December 21, 2010)
664:
424:Great Britain in the World Economy
401:
227:and the antitrust division of the
14:
926:
905:Writers from Paterson, New Jersey
895:Ripon College (Wisconsin) faculty
865:American male non-fiction writers
787:. American Enterprise Institute.
723:"Wrath of Kahn kept airfares low"
327:While serving as Chairman of the
311:Professor Kahn died of cancer in
850:20th-century American economists
774:
742:
714:
683:
620:Hemingway, Sam (May 25, 2011).
575:. July 14, 1983. Archived from
479:"Flying Amid the Merger Clouds"
646:
594:
554:
503:
456:
300:Kahn was the father-in-law of
16:American economist (1917–2010)
1:
900:Writers from New York (state)
810:"A Champion of Plain English"
692:"The Economics of Regulation"
450:
518:. Cambridge: Belknap Press.
193:
7:
781:Alfred Edward Kahn (2001).
721:Reed, Dan (July 23, 2007).
428:The Nightly Business Report
10:
931:
890:New York University alumni
885:Economists from New Jersey
875:Cornell University faculty
510:McCraw, Thomas K. (1984).
397:and Reaganite revolutions.
279:National Governing Board.
20:
627:The Burlington Free Press
437:
130:
120:
115:
111:
87:
68:
46:
37:
30:
354:, and consumer advocate
750:"Obituary: Alfred Kahn"
329:Civil Aeronautics Board
231:. After serving in the
229:U.S. Justice Department
161:Civil Aeronautics Board
915:Yale University alumni
910:Writers from Wisconsin
514:Prophets of Regulation
251:, and Chairman of the
218:University of Missouri
182:Professor Emeritus of
690:Kahn, Alfred (1970).
369:In an interview with
306:University of Vermont
225:Brookings Institution
758:. January 22, 2010.
382:. After his death,
342:" including Senator
319:Work in deregulation
200:Paterson, New Jersey
180:Robert Julius Thorne
157:Airline Deregulation
61:Paterson, New Jersey
660:on January 1, 2011.
491:on November 6, 2012
304:, president of the
204:New York University
92:New York University
814:The New York Times
634:on August 31, 2013
607:The New York Times
582:on October 1, 2011
573:Cornell University
273:Cornell University
244:Cornell University
233:United States Army
188:Cornell University
173:Southwest Airlines
159:," he chaired the
137:Alfred Edward Kahn
125:Cornell University
794:978-0-8447-7156-4
569:Cornell Chronicle
302:Daniel Mark Fogel
198:Kahn was born in
184:political economy
165:low-cost airlines
153:energy industries
134:
133:
72:December 27, 2010
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702:on June 29, 2011
698:. Archived from
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487:. Archived from
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313:Ithaca, New York
80:Ithaca, New York
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57:October 17, 1917
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214:Yale University
209:summa cum laude
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116:Academic career
101:Yale University
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380:net neutrality
352:Stephen Breyer
344:Edward Kennedy
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169:People Express
132:
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76:(aged 93)
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32:Alfred E. Kahn
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761:
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755:The Economist
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696:The MIT Press
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348:Supreme Court
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237:Ripon College
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817:. Retrieved
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764:. Retrieved
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732:. Retrieved
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706:November 30,
704:. Retrieved
700:the original
685:
658:the original
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636:. Retrieved
632:the original
625:
615:
606:
596:
584:. Retrieved
577:the original
568:
556:
546:December 28,
544:. Retrieved
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493:. Retrieved
489:the original
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370:
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360:deregulation
340:progressives
326:
322:
310:
299:
290:
281:
277:Common Cause
269:
257:
249:Jimmy Carter
242:He moved to
241:
222:
207:
197:
177:
145:deregulation
136:
135:
74:(2010-12-27)
18:
845:2010 deaths
840:1917 births
766:January 27,
495:January 12,
395:Thatcherite
356:Ralph Nader
178:He was the
121:Institution
834:Categories
451:References
260:depression
141:regulation
53:1917-10-17
734:August 7,
728:USA Today
586:March 25,
372:USA Today
346:, future
264:euphemism
194:Biography
88:Education
23:Fred Kaan
819:July 15,
760:Archived
679:CBS News
350:Justice
336:Democrat
285:Iolanthe
638:May 25,
388:wrote:
333:liberal
206:at 18,
167:, from
149:airline
791:
522:
446:, 1997
438:Awards
422:, and
294:Boston
82:, U.S.
63:, U.S.
580:(PDF)
565:(PDF)
821:2013
789:ISBN
768:2011
736:2007
708:2010
640:2011
588:2008
548:2010
520:ISBN
497:2008
484:Time
151:and
143:and
69:Died
47:Born
186:at
171:to
105:PhD
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